Tester of the Tangential

Card text

Increment (Whenever you cast a spell, if the amount of mana you spent is greater than this creature's power or toughness, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)

At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may pay {X}. When you do, move X +1/+1 counters from this creature onto another target creature.

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.19 (as of 2026-11-12).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Tester of the Tangential by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

Official rulings

Seven official rulings apply to Tester of the Tangential, newest first.

• 2026-03-20 An increment ability will only trigger if the permanent it's on is a creature. Similarly, if the permanent is no longer a creature when its increment ability resolves, the ability won't do anything.
• 2026-03-20 When comparing the mana spent to the creature's stats as the increment ability resolves, it's possible that the stat that is less than the mana spent changes from power to toughness or vice versa. For example, say you control a 1/3 creature with increment and you pay two mana to cast a spell. Since the amount of mana you spent is greater than the creature's power, increment will trigger. While the increment ability is on the stack, an effect gives the creature with increment +2/-2, making it a 3/1. When the increment ability resolves, the creature will still get a +1/+1 counter since the amount of mana you spent is greater than that creature's toughness.
• 2026-03-20 If increment triggers, the comparison will happen again when the ability tries to resolve. If the amount of mana spent to cast that spell isn't greater than either of that creature's stats anymore, the ability will do nothing.
• 2026-03-20 Whenever you cast a spell, check the amount of mana you spent to cast it against the power and toughness of the creature with increment. If the amount of mana you spent isn't greater than either of that creature's stats, increment won't trigger at all.
• 2026-03-20 To move a counter from one creature to another, the counter is removed from the first creature and put onto the second. Any abilities that care about a counter being removed from or placed on a creature will apply.
• 2026-03-20 You don't choose a target for Tester of the Tangential's last ability at the time it triggers. Instead, a second "reflexive" ability triggers whenever you pay {X} this way. You choose a target for that ability as it goes on the stack. Each player may respond to this triggered ability as normal.
• 2026-03-20 The increment ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered or otherwise leaves the stack.

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